


The Ex

by worrisomeme



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Jealous Sebastian, M/M, Mostly Fluff, mentions of past Chris/Tom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-08
Updated: 2017-09-08
Packaged: 2018-12-25 08:07:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12031698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/worrisomeme/pseuds/worrisomeme
Summary: Sebastian slips out of the busy Starbucks, two drinks steaming in the cool autumn air, when he sees it - the strange man unraveling himself from an embrace with his fiancé. He’s smiling just a little too wide, just a little too familiar as he lightly pats his arm. It doesn’t help that Chris is giving him the same look back – earnest as ever and smile a mile wide. Sebastian feels his heart sink. He almost drops the damn coffees, and wouldn’t that be a shame?





	The Ex

**Author's Note:**

> Just a quick little (unedited) fic for mexicancubby on tumblr! Thanks for the prompt request dear!! ^_^

Sebastian slips out of the busy Starbucks, two drinks steaming in the cool autumn air, when he sees it - the strange man unraveling himself from an embrace with his fiancé. He’s smiling just a little too wide, just a little too familiar as he lightly pats his arm. It doesn’t help that Chris is giving him the same look back – earnest as ever and smile a mile wide. Sebastian feels his heart sink. He almost drops the damn coffees, and wouldn’t that be a shame?

He sucks in a breath and straightens his spine as he forces his feet to move. _You’re just overthinking things_ , he tells himself. And what does he even think all that is anyway? An ex trying to win him back? An acquaintance that’s just finally found the courage to ask him out? Some stranger aggressively flirting? Can’t they see the silver band around his ring finger?

Whatever it is, he forces a smile to his face as he approaches them.

“Hey! Babe! There you are,” Chris says, his smile widening impossibly, laughing as he tries to take the wrong cup and Sebastian pulls his right hand out of reach.

“You _definitely_ don’t want that one,” Sebastian says, trying for teasing as he extends the left instead. He’s not sure how close he makes it. And normally he would press a kiss to his lips and nuzzle into his side, but he’s not quite sure just what he’s walked into or what will happen if he does, so he just settles awkwardly next to him, making a weird triangle that blocks most of the sidewalk. “Hi,” he says, almost timidly, to the stranger at his other side.

“Oh! Geez, how rude of me,” Chris says, always excitable and loud and talking with his hands. “Tom, this is Sebastian. Seb, this is Tom. I’ve told you about Tom I think.”

“Only good things I hope,” it comes with a laugh and British lilt that leaves no room for Sebastian to wonder exactly which Tom it is. Hiddleston. The ex. The ex he parted with, “On great terms, actually. He’s a really great guy. It just wasn’t the time or the place, you know?” Fuck. “Hi,” The Ex goes on, extending his hand. “It’s so nice to meet you.”

Ugh. Of course he has to be polite. And charming. And handsome. And- _Shit, Sebastian, say something,_ he scolds himself.

“Only good things,” Sebastian confirms, taking his hand and shaking with a smile he hopes doesn’t look as strained as it feels. Chris wraps an arm around his shoulder and pulls him to his side and it does nothing to soothe the ache in his chest.

Chris and Tom catch up for a little while but Sebastian lets himself tune it out. He doesn’t care how much more successful The Ex is than him, or how much more exciting his life of travel is. And despite Chris’ arm around him, the chill settles into his bones just a little deeper. All kinds of horrible thoughts run through his mind. What if he and Chris get close again and Chris realizes he was too good for him all along? What if he decides to leave Sebastian for him? What if he does it on their wedding day? He could end up like one of those poor sweet guys from all the rom coms who are just there as a placeholder until the real love interest gets his shit together. What if he’s a background character in his own life?

By the time he hears Chris say, “Well, hey, we’ve got an appointment with a bakery we can’t miss,” he’s worked himself into a mood.

“What’s the occasion?” The Ex coos.

“A tasting for our wedding cake,” Chris says, that grin crossing his whole face again as he squeezes Sebastian gently against his side and presses a kiss to his cheek.

“Oh! No way! Congratulations!” Tom laughs. He steps forward and rests a hand on Chris’ arm. Close enough that Seb can smell his cologne. Too close. “I’m _so_ happy for you,” he says, and he even sounds like he actually means it. Then he rests his other hand on Sebastian’s arm and, with that same, wide smile and a wink, says, “You’re a lucky man.”

“The luckiest,” Sebastian says with a soft huff of a laugh, and he definitely can hear the strain in his own voice that time.

“Well, hey,” The Ex says, finally stepping back, “I’ll let you go. But it was really great seeing you again Christopher. Keep in touch!”

“I will,” Chris promises, rubbing his hand along Sebastian’s arm through his coat.

“And it was nice meeting you,” Tom goes on.

“You too,” Sebastian says, like his heart doesn’t feel like it’s been ripped from his chest, like his stomach isn’t churning.

And then he’s gone and the aching and the churning don’t quite stop, but he at least kind of feels like he can breathe again.

“You okay?” Chris asks, concern in his eyes as he looks to him finally.

“Yeah, yeah,” Sebastian waves a dismissive hand and tries to force a smile. It doesn’t work. “I’m fine. Just cold. Let’s go.”

He tries to get excited by the cakes – they all taste amazing (especially a ‘blue velvet’ made with just a hint of blueberry in it that he’d squealed and jumped excitedly into Chris’ lap over when he found on their menu) – but he just can’t shake the mood he’s in.

Chris senses it, Seb knows. He can tell because his fiancé, who is already a huge goof anyway, really hams it up. He’s also extra affectionate, never breaking a point of contact without creating another. But no matter what the big meatball does, Sebastian can’t pull himself out of this hole.

By the time they make it back to their apartment, a bag full of samples in tow, Seb’s in an all-out depressive episode. They’re rare now that he’s on the right meds, but that only makes him more frustrated that it’s happening. Today of all days. And for the stupidest reason.

He knows it’s stupid, knows he’s being jealous and petty and ridiculous, knows that Chris wouldn’t just leave him. No matter how handsome and charming and interesting and exciting and _British_ Tom is.

But still.

He’s scowling as he unlocks the door and doesn’t even wait for Chris before trudging off back to their bedroom. He hears Chris lock the door and set their bags down in the kitchen before following him into their room.

“Hey,” he says quietly, leaning against their dresser.

Sebastian lets out a noncommittal noise of acknowledgement and flushes as he strips down, knowing Chris is watching.

“What’s wrong?” his fiancé asks, an eyebrow raised, as Seb slips into his sweatpants.

“Nothing,” Sebastian insists, tugging on one of Chris’ t-shirts and pushing past him, back out into the hallway and toward the kitchen. “What do you want for dinner?” he calls from the other room, starting to put the cake in the fridge and rummage through for ingredients.

Chris’ feet pad into the kitchen a moment later and Sebastian doesn’t have to turn to him to know exactly which look his fiancé is giving him. It’s equal parts worried and stern, he’s sure.

“How about the chicken and dumplings?” he suggests, humoring the younger man. “Haven’t had that in a while.” Sebastian lets out a thoughtful hum and nods his agreement, but when he doesn’t say any more Chris steps right up behind him and wraps his arms around his waist. “You gonna tell me what’s wrong?” he asks, pressing innocent kisses along his neck and shoulder.

Sebastian tenses a little and lets the fridge close. “I told you, nothing’s wrong.”

“Don’t lie to me Sebastian,” he says warningly into his skin. “You know you don’t have to lie to me. You’ve been acting weird since Starbucks. Did something happen?”

Sebastian scoffs and rolls his eyes, pulling himself from Chris’ arms under the guise of starting to work on dinner.

“Oh, da, da. Da, a fost magazinul de cafea,” Sebastian rambles quietly, passive aggressively. “Nu fostul tău iubit sau altceva. Nu ar putea avea nimic de-a face cu asta.”

Chris sighs and Sebastian can only imagine the unimpressed look on his face. “You _know_ I’m not that good with the language yet Seb. You lost me after ‘da’, babe.” He steps forward before Seb can actually start cooking and spins him around. “Come on baby, talk to me,” he coos, wrapping him up in his arms and rubbing along his back slowly. “If you’re not feeling up to it I’ll just put that stuff away and order a pizza and we can sit on the couch and talk. You know I’m always here for you.”

Seb huffs but he melts a little at his fiancé’s touch. “Nu vreau să vorbesc,” he mumbles, even as he pulls away and starts putting the food back in the fridge.

“You don’t want…” Chris translates aloud, and Seb can’t help the slight smile that twitches up the corner of his mouth. “You don’t want to… to talk? Right?”

“Da, dreapta,” Sebastian nods, turning back to the other man. His smile’s just a little bit wider now as he crosses his arms over his chest. “Bine? Ai spus ceva despre pizza?”

“I’m not sure what you said but I heard pizza!” Chris laughs, throwing his arms up in victory. He presses a kiss to Sebastian’s cheek before grabbing his hand and pulling him into the living room. He gently pushes the smaller man onto the couch and presses the remote into his hand. “Here,” he says, “turn something on if you want to. I’ll be right back.” Then he races off.

Seb hears Chris on the phone with their favorite pizza place while he browses the guide. In the end he settles on some crime show he doesn’t recognize and pulls his knees to his chest, pouting just a little as he stares at the screen without actually watching it. A moment later Chris emerges from the hallway and flops onto the couch next to him. He pulls Seb into his lap and presses a kiss to his cheek.  They fall into an uneasy silence, Sebastian still tense in Chris’ arms.

“Was it something I did?” Chris asks after a beat.

Sebastian sighs heavily and rests his head on the other man’s shoulder. “No,” he says, too tired and sad now to keep up with the petty shit. “It wasn’t you. It was just…” he sighs and shakes his head a little. “Don’t worry about it Chris. It’s nothing.”

Seb can practically hear Chis biting back a goofy comment about him speaking English again (“Nice! That was almost four whole sentences!”).

Instead his fiancé hesitates a moment and then asks, “Was it Tom?”

Sebastian blushes and hides his face in the other man’s shirt. He is _not_ about to admit he was jealous. No way.

But Chris knows him and his silence says enough.

“Awwwwh, baby,” he coos, pressing kisses to the other man’s hair. “You don’t have to worry about Tom baby. He was a great guy, really. But he was _nothing_ compared to you Sebby.”

Seb whines quietly and curls up tighter, burrowing his face into the crook of his fiancé’s neck. “He’s not nothing. He’s handsome and smart and funny and kind and charming and interesting. He travels all over the world. He’s _exciting_. He’s the one that got away.”

Chris’ brow furrows and he pulls Sebastian away gently, just enough so that he can look at his face. The smaller man refuses to meet his eyes, but a big hand comes up to caress a cheek.

“Sebastian, will you please look at me?” he asks.

Hesitantly, Sebastian draws his gaze up until he’s meeting those eyes he fell in love with. And when he does he kind of feels like he’s going to cry.

“First of all, you were just passive aggressively speaking to me in Romanian,” Chris teases, drawing a weak laugh from his fiancé. “And you could also do it in at least one other language. That I know of. And he might travel around the world, but you’ve _lived_ around the world. So I don’t want to hear about how you’re not interesting or worldly or whatever it is you think Tom has on you.”

Sebastian blushes and feels tears well up in his eyes. He doesn’t argue, but he doesn’t say anything else either. So Chris goes on, “And forget handsome. You’re the most _gorgeous_ person on the planet. You’re, like, the smartest person I know – besides my mom.” That draws another laugh from Seb and earns Chris a playful shove. “And anyone who knows you knows how funny and kind and all that shit you are. When I say he’s nothing compared to you, I mean it. There _is_ no ‘one that got away’. And in a couple months I’m going to marry your ass and make sure there never is.”

Seb huffs out a wet laugh and shoves his fiancé again, his cheeks burning as he hides his face in the other man’s chest again. “You really mean it?” he mumbles as a few stray tears roll down his cheeks.

Chris cups Sebastian’s cheeks and gently forces him to look at him again. “I _really_ mean it Seb. I’ve never felt love like I do with you.”

Seb sniffles a little and wipes the tears from his cheeks. “Me either,” he says softly. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Chris says, then he pulls him in for a kiss that shows him just how much he means it.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!!
> 
> As always, kudos and comments and all of that are sososo greatly appreciated!! I can't even begin to explain how much!<3
> 
> And, last but not least, if you want to request a prompt or just hang out and chat, you can find me on [tumblr](http://worrisomeme.tumblr.com) ^_^ <3


End file.
